In press freedom index, Middle Eastern countries go from bad to worse

Press freedom and journalist safety remain “very bad” in the majority of the Middle East and North Africa nations, Reporters Without Borders' 2022 index shows.

AL-MONITOR Staff
AL-MONITOR Staff
A man walks past a French-language daily newspaper stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper "Liberté" in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)
A man walks past a news stand displaying the final issue of Algerian French-language daily newspaper Liberté in Algeria's capital Algiers on April 14, 2022. — RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images

The majority of Middle Eastern and North African countries sank further on press freedom in 2022, with the most drastic drops in region observed in Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its annual press freedom index this week, which reviews the state of journalism in 180 countries, assessed a record number of 28 countries as “very bad” in 2022. 

In the Middle East, Palestine dropped 38 places and Lebanon dropped 23 while Tunisia saw a drop of 21.

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